For those of you that don’t already know..........every single snap on this website is taken from one place -

our garden in Above Town, Dartmouth, Devon, England

Wednsday e25th October 2023 - 7.30pm

     A big arrival today. It just barged in.

Storm Babet wasn't quite as powerful in the South Hams as expected, but enough to unsettle a few sailors.

Dartmouth Food Festival bought in the crowds and there were enough seals to entertain too.

TVFTDO is a unique record of life in, on, around and above the wonderful river Dart.

See all of last years albums here.

You can also take a look at The Pick of TVFTDO.

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Well done for getting this far. You now have a choice. Continue on below looking at the previous updates or heading inside to look at  ALL the September photos. For every one here on the front page there are ten more inside.  August pix here.

23 September 2023 - 20:22:30

It's a replica of a ship that could have fought in the Spanish Armada. Launched in 2009 it's a pretty big tub, over 40 metres long.

The two front facing spotlights didn't help with taking a night shot, but an impressive craft none the less.

24 September 2023 - 11:26:39

And in daylight hours there's a threatening element to the front end.

24 September 2023 - 11:25:24

Imagine this bearing down on you in the midst of a sea battle.

We would all be a trembling.

Tours around the El Galeon Andalucia in Dartmouth were £10 a time. Travelling as crew to France would set you back 250 euros.

24 September 2023 - 11:17:57

Competition Time. Previously I jokingly suggested that this is really a parabolic reflector to try and improve the mobile phone signal.

Clearly not so (well it's not parabolioc, is it?)

Well it's getting bigger so perhaps it could instead be an observatory. Or a gun emplacement ?

Or.....?

25 September 2023 - 12:39:49

Missed the arrival of El Galeon Andalucia on Friday, but clearly the crew are here preparing for a departure on Tuesday under sail.

Well, we can dream, can't we?

25 September 2023 - 10:24:51

Look again. What's wrong here?

25 September 2023 - 08:12:45

Wildlife guide Mike Langman has been running occasional Osprey and other wildlife spotting trips aboard the African Queen for the last few months. Today's trip went upriver after first checking out the seals on the Kingswear pontoon (below). There was some serious camera gear aboard in the hands of the passengers. Apparently they got to see two ospreys fishing for almost two hours. Along with four kingfishers and plenty more.

25 September 2023 - 07:41:24

Not really in their natural habitat.

Still fun to have them around.

05 September 2023 - 08:51:21

Just before we went off on holiday this Royal Navy experimental craft came in.

Seen here leaving the town jetty.  Sideways.

05 September 2023 - 08:54:34

And as the Navy's most technologically advanced craft, it was still carrying its wheelie bins

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26 September 2023 - 09:54:33

Replica Spanish Armada galleon, El Galeon Andalucia has completed its public opening days moored on the town jetty.

So this morning it was moved the hundred metres or so to a mainstream mooring.

How they did it all those years ago is a mystery to me having seen just quite how much horse power and teamwork it took today.

26 September 2023 - 09:47:57

At one point there were five Dart Harbour craft pushing the El Galeon Andalucia into position on the river Dart.

Loads more pix  of this inside the September album. Just click the pic.

26 September 2023 - 09:48:13

The galleon has its own engine (it's a replica remember) but with very limited manouvering ability.

ie, there was very little steering to be done.

26 September 2023 - 09:42:11

It was slow going but the combined horsepower of the Ribeye boats eventually did the trick.

26 September 2023 - 10:02:35

Almost there, even once the fore and aft lines were attached the pushing continued. Tide and wind seemed to be against an easy solution.

19 October 2023 - 12:14:47

Storm Babet wasn't exactly a damp squib, but certainly the South Hams escaped the worst. Although you might want to try tell that to this crew as they departed the harbour. They were in between the two castles when perhaps second thoughts might have been setting in.

As always, you can click any pic to enter the October album which has more than 170 photos already.

16 October 2023 - 10:46:25

To the crew of the William Henry II this is pretty much water off a duck's back.

21 October 2023 - 19:48:58

There has been a number of Air Ambulance missions in the viicinity recently. One daytime landing was at the top of Kingswear. This night time emergency landing was into Coronation Park, one of two sites in the town which can handle movements after dark.  

The casualty, who had fallen, was flown to Derriford hospital.

20 October 2023 - 08:29:07

It's the end of the season and soon the seal pontoon will be taken away.

Not that the seals care about their own pontoon. One of RDYC's dinghy rafts took on six new residents this week.

21 October 2023 - 10:14:38

Meanwhile, Johnny no-mates (or Joanna no-mates) decided to live aboard a nearby dinghy.

23 October 2023 - 10:38:58

End of season, chores to be done, pontoons to put away.

RDYC members sort out their winter lighting.

23 October 2023 - 11:41:01

And then take their main pontoon for its winter holiday.

22 October 2023 - 16:46:30

If it was meant to be camouflage green, someone didn't get the memo.

One of the many houses being developed along Dartmouth's Castle Road does er,....stand out.

20 October 2023 - 11:28:30

Farming over Galmpton way.

Could they be planting a flag?

17 October 2023 - 15:46:26

A call out down to Slapton was called off soon after the Dart RNLI left the harbour. Condition were a bit lumpy.

17 October 2023 - 18:44:05

And so, with lumpy conditions the crews of both RNLI Inshore LifeBoats were sent out for some rough weather training.

17 October 2023 - 18:44:21

Safe to say that the B-Class boat had the power to run rings around the D-Class.

18 October 2023 - 14:32:13

A special train trip for steam enthusiasts. The Royal Scot came down from Taunton.

Look carefully and you will see it here reversing back to Churston to turn around.

If, per chance, you want to see it properly, click the pic and head into the October album where later in the day it departed in better weather.

20 October 2023 - 07:05:15

Dartmouth Food Festival - once again a great success.

Unless, of course you want to take notice of the Facebook whiners.

14 October 2023 - 11:46:23

Last year Dartmouth could boast it had two former Venetian water taxis.

Sadly the owner of one passed away suddenly, but Serenella is still around.

I assume it's known as Serenella, but that is also the name of the company in Venice that makes them.

25 October 2023 - 08:11:36

I was told it was going to be big. But not THIS big. And it just barged in.

It's a JUB, a jack up barge, also known as a jack up platform.

25 October 2023 - 08:15:54

Towed from Plymouth by tug Kingston the barge, known as JU36201 weighs 600 tons, is 36.5 metres long and 20 metres wide. Those poles, known as spud legs are each 40 metres tall.

25 October 2023 - 08:24:52

It's owned by MPS - Modular Pontoon Systems of the Netherlands And this barge recently helped in the renovation of Fulham Football Clubs ground which is alongside the Thames. It's no surprise that the platform is here in Dartmouth to assist in the repairs at Sandquay.

Loads more pix (and I mean loads) in the October album. Just click any pic.

25 October 2023 - 08:24:05

And whilst the major towing operation continued in the harbour out on the horizon was a sunrise.

Not one of your conventional sunrises, but well worth seeing.

25 October 2023 - 14:34:33

Also out on the horizon, but much later in the day, was this tall ship.

Called Artemis and flying under the flag of the Netherlands it is on its way from Harlingen (in the Netherlands) to Cascais in Portugal.